Fishing Report May 12, 2025
The weather hasn’t been great, but that hasn’t seemed to stop the fish from biting. Just about everyone who braved the elements has reported very good catches. Trolling on Sebago and Winnipesaukee has been very good, trout stocking continues weekly, flounder reports around Boston Harbor have been reportedly very good, and there are fresh stripers showing up around Boston and Plum Island daily. Some warmer and dryer weather won’t hurt anyone’s feelings and should provide some much appreciated opportunities.
Maine:
Greg Cutting at Jordans Store in Sebago reported great fishing, with some very nice salmon being caught in Sebago lately. “The fishing has been great. One guy sent me a picture of an 8.06-pound salmon that he caught, and I’ve heard of some 6-pounders. All the salmon this year seem to be on the larger size and mostly full of smelt, which is a really good sign. A lot of people are trolling shiners, now that the smelt are pretty much done. There are still a few people trolling hardware right up near the surface. DB Smelts with the silver/blue color have been working great over here. The red/grey Ghost is a go-to streamer fly over here. The Sebago Lake Trout Shootout is this coming weekend. I’m sure there will be some nice fish caught,” he said
Captain Tim Tower of Bunny Clark Deep Sea Fishing in Ogunquit published the following report from a recent trip: “The fishing was excellent, the catching was excellent, and landings were very good to excellent. This was the best haddock day of the season today. It would have been one of the best haddock days of last season as well. This day was also our best day of the year for poundage. It started off steady and rose to a haddock a drop with lots of doubles and lots of sub-legal haddock and small legal haddock that went back. So, of course, most legal fish landed were haddock. We had the bag limit for every person aboard by 1:00 PM. Legal landings also included thirty cusk, three pollock and twenty-six redfish. Released fish included at least two hundred and two haddock, six small cod, a couple of small cusk, three redfish, a dogfish and a wolffish. We drift fished and anchored. It didn't make a difference. Bait worked best.”
“I couldn't tell you who was high hook with the most legal fish. It could have been Mark Girard (NH). He released thirty sub-legal haddock and small keepers. And he kept quite a few. But it was probably Chris Willy (VT) who was high hook. Danny swore that it was Chris. And, looking back, he did seem to have a fish (that he marked and bled himself) every time I looked around. And I don't believe he got tangled even once! He was keeping his fish with a group, so it was impossible to know exactly. He didn't land any 11-pound haddock, like he did last season. His largest was 5 pounds, like almost everyone on the boat today. Tom Murphy (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with an 8.75-pound Maine state trophy haddock. Calvin Loven (VT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with an 8-pound cusk. His biggest haddock weighed 5.75 pounds. But he caught a lot of 5 pounders. The third largest fish was a 6.5-pound wolffish caught by Levy Loven (VT). Levy was not in the boat pool for the third largest fish. There were three anglers who caught the fourth largest fish at 6 pounds. Those anglers were Steve Zimmer (NY), Darnell Cox (ME) and Mark Girard. Darnell was not in the boat pools. So, both Mark and Steve tied to win the boat pool for the third largest fish with the fourth largest fish. Steve had two 6-pound haddock, Darnell had a 6-pound cusk and two haddock of 5.5 pounds each. Mark had a 6-pound haddock.”
“Other Angler Highlights: Darlene Chin (ME) probably had the best haddock day of her life today. If she didn't, she was very close. The two biggest haddock that I weighed for her were 5 pounds and 5.25 pounds. Nate Baird (ME) caught a 5.1-pound haddock and a 5-pound haddock. Stu Douglas (NY) caught a 5.75-pound haddock, his biggest fish. He had to pause the fishing at one point because the morning's breakfast and the motion of the ocean were not compatible. Leo Lamoureux (VT) landed a 5.5-pound haddock, his biggest fish. Matt Bodkin (NY) landed a 5-pound haddock, his biggest fish.”
New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors/Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee says that the trolling bite on Lake Winnipesaukee remains consistent. “We are still doing very well overall on Winnipesaukee. There seems to be no shortage of 2-year-old salmon this year. With the rain and windy days, there has been a lot less fishing pressure than most springs, which means a lot more salmon made it through the shallow water smelt runs that typically cause many fish to fall victim to anglers. And back out into the main lake to grow. Hardware is still the key for us. Spoons with white or pink have done well and flies with white and purple have been great most days. We are still fishing 15-feet down for the most part,” he said.
Les Eastman at Eastman’s Fleet in Seabrook published the following report: "Yesterday wasn’t great weather-wise, rough morning and the LAM had lots of kids that were getting sick. They came in early, and we gave out free tickets for another trip. All the other boats stayed out and did about the same, as it’s been just more difficult with the rough weather. Not the case today, flat calm and beautiful out. All boats out and I’ll report when I find out later today. Sold out tomorrow (Sunday), Monday we have 4 spots on the marathon and 15 left on the All Day, all other boats are chartered. T/W/T there is plenty of room. 15:35hrs fish report, like it’s been, didn’t talk to Capt. Phil on the LMA, but LAM did well, like it’s been but bigger haddock. SCL did better than it’s been today, 5-7 low guys, with bunch of guys that limited and a picture-perfect day weather wise, unlike yesterday when the morning was horrible weather, ended up nice but rough morning. 17:00hrs, rare report from one of the 6-pack boats. Capt. Ralph on the Melanie Jeanne just about limited, 97 big haddock for six guys and himself, just eight shy. –Capt. Les"
The NH Fish and Game Department published their spring 2025 fishing forecast online: “One word that will likely sum up the expected fishing conditions, is dry. The drought conditions facing most of the state will likely continue through the spring, which will impact fishable waterbodies. Anglers should plan for this and strategize accordingly.”
“There is some good news for anglers this spring, however. Long term forecasts indicate temperatures will be closer to normal and cooler in nature. Cooler air temps and water temps keep fish in the shallows and feeding. It also looks like there will be lots of days with overcast skies, which traditionally produce top notch fishing. Although there won’t be a lot of rain, there will be days where you can expect light drizzle, which is another great time to fish because this excites the food towards the top of the water.”
“Spring Fishing Tips: Dry conditions, especially in the spring, do not necessarily mean poor fishing. Your approach to lakes and ponds at this time of year will be largely unaffected. Cooler temps mean fish will be in the shallower waters, which also means it is a great time of year (if not the best) to fish if your only option is fishing from the shore. Continue to look for structure and weed beds, even if the shoreline is a little lower. When fishing dryer rivers and streams, target the deeper pools where fish are likely to be hanging out. Places where there is good running water, or “run-offs,” are also good because the water is cool and aeriated for fish and their food.”
“Spring is among the best times of year to catch trout, especially rainbow trout, in New Hampshire. This species fights hard and is pretty enough to make a great addition to your social media page before throwing it back. Stocked ones can still be found shallow in ponds and rivers making them a great spring target fish. Use salmon eggs or a gold spinner lure to drum up success. If you’re lucky enough to have a boat, or at least a friend with one, trolling for rainbows with a spoon or fly is almost guaranteed to bring you success, just experiment with depth depending on what temperature the water is.”
“And for those who like to chase warm water species, catch-and-release-only season for bass opens on May 15 and runs through Father’s Day. See you on the water!”
Massachusetts:
Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett says that the flounder fishing in Boston Harbor is tremendous now and there are fresh stripers showing up daily. “We’ve got mackerel in, and we’ve got stripers off Revere Beach and off Winthrop. The flounder bite is off the charts. They put some big tiger and brown trout in Jamaica Pond. The Zobo Flounder Derby is coming up May 18. You can sign up at the shop,” he said.
Liz at Surfland Bait and Tackle reported fresh stripers. “The stripers are here. The fishing has been good, with the exception of all the crap coming down the river with all the rain. I’ve heard of fish along the ocean front, down at Sandy Point. I haven’t had a good boat report yet, but the fish are definitely here. The shad fishing has been at a standstill because the river is so high up around Rock Village. I have seen a lot of videos of herring struggling to get up the river due to all the current. Hopefully they are able to get up there to spawn,” she said.